I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to durable and launderable absorbent sheets and particulary to such absorbent sheets in which the upper, fluid receiving surface presents a generally dry feel even after fluid is placed thereon, and yet which has a generally dry bottom side as well.
II. Description of Prior Art
One highly successful absorbent barrier sheet has been marketed by Standard Textile Co., Inc, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as an incontinent pad. In that pad, the upper ply of material is provided by an integral fabric web having a hydrophobic upper surface and a fluid absorbing lower surface into which fluid at the upper surface will wick so as to present a generally dry feel. The fabric web is marketed as Comply(copyright) material by Standard Textile. The bottom of the incontinent pad includes a barrier layer to thus also present a dry surface. In order to provide a surface to which the barrier may be attached without destroying the fluid absorbency of the Comply(copyright) web, and to provide rigidity to the pad, there is also included a layer of nonwoven felt between the barrier layer and the top fabric web. In order to stabilize the pad such as during washings and the like, the felt is attached to the Comply(copyright) fabric such as by quilting, and also to the barrier layer such as by adhesive lamination.
The cost of making a sheet like the incontinent pad is significant including as it does several different plies and manufacturing steps. Moreover, the multiple plies, and particularly the felt, make the sheet relatively thick. Thus, that type of sheet is not economical for retail and consumer usage and so has been primarily limited to institutional medical usage.
The present invention provides an absorbent barrier sheet that is more economical to produce, relatively thin, and with broad application to a variety of retail and consumer usages as well as institutional usages. To this end, and in accordance with the principals of the present invention, the barrier layer is connected directly to the fluid absorbing portion of the integral fabric web, which surprisingly has not had a deleterious impact on absorbency. The fluid barrier material at the bottom of the sheet is intimately connected to and across the lower fluid-retaining portion of the fabric web so as not to require any intervening layers or manufacturing steps to couple the barrier layer to the integral hydrophobic/fluid absorbent web. In this fashion, fluid which comes in contact with the top of the sheet wicks down along the yarns of the hydrophobic upper portion toward the yarns of the lower fluid-retaining portion, where the fluid is absorbed so as to present a generally dry upper surface. And because the sheet includes a fluid barrier material connected across this fluid-retaining lower portion, fluid is generally prevented from passing through this barrier material, thereby keeping the bottom of the sheet as well as any underlying surface dry. Moreover, because the barrier is intimately connected to the integral fabric web, manufacture of the sheet is simple and cost effective.
If desired, the hydrophobic upper portion of the barrier sheet web may be formed of synthetic yarns while the lower fluid-retaining portion may be formed of natural yarns. In addition, the barrier material advantageously is vinyl, either extrusion coated or laminated onto the lower fluid-retaining portion of the integral fabric web. The barrier material may form the technical bottom of the absorbent barrier sheet, in which case the exposed bottom surface of the barrier material may be embossed so as to form an aesthetically pleasing pattern. Alternatively, the technical bottom of the absorbent barrier sheet may be a second fabric web intimately connected to the fluid barrier material on the side of the barrier material opposite the lower fluid-retaining portion of the integral fabric web.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the absorbent barrier sheet is formed or incorporated into any of a number of different products. In fact, the sheet may be used wherever it is desirable to absorb and retain fluids and to have a dry bottom surface and an upper surface which tends to feel generally dry to the touch. For example, the absorbent barrier sheet is suitably formed as an infant bib, an infant burp cloth, a table cloth or a sheet to be placed under serving dishes, indoor plants and the like. In addition, the sheet is suitably incorporated into incontinent or other fluid discharge products, such as incontinent pads, diapers, infant t-shirts and adult undergarments, for example.
By virtue of the foregoing, there is thus provided an economical, relatively thin absorbent sheet which is capable of absorbing fluids and preventing those fluids from passing to a surface below, while also presenting a generally dry upper face at the top of the sheet. In addition, because of its characteristics, the sheet is suitable for numerous uses, as noted above. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and description thereof.